Here's the Joe Biden Joke That Now Has Ted Cruz Apologizing

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz issued an apology just hours after cracking a joke about Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, saying it was a “mistake” to mock the vice president “during his time of grief.”

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Biden lost his son, Beau, to brain cancer on Saturday. He will be buried Thursday.

Cruz was speaking to a group of Republican supporters in Michigan on Wednesday night when he made the joke. Detroit News reporter Chad Livengood was one of the first to report Cruz's frequently used joke on Twitter:

"Vice President Joe Biden," @TedCruz says to faint laughter. "You know the nice thing? You don't need a punch line." #JoeBiden

— Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) June 3, 2015

When I asked @tedcruz "why'd you tell a joke about the vice president tonight?" the Texas senator turned and walked away. #BeauBiden #netDE

— Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) June 4, 2015

Cruz later issued a statement calling it a "mistake" to reuse the Biden joke "during his time of grief."

It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize. The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic, and our prayers are very much with the Vice President and his family.

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